Felt shrinking



Patented Apr. 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOMER A. GE NEST, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- 'MEN'IS, T UNITED STATES HAT MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF RICHMOND, VIR- GINIA, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

rEL'r snnmxme.

Application filed June 25, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER A. GENEsr,

a citizen of the United States, residing in Hartford, in the county of Hartford and 6 State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Felt Shrinking, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates principally to the shrinking stage in manufacturing hats or other felt articles.

It is usual to blow the loose fur fibres upon a perforated cone, forming a bat, which is immediately immersed in hot water, thus beginning the shrinking operation and matting and strengthening the bat, which is then usually shrunken by tediously manipulating it in various ways while wet with hot water. This manipulation can be performed only slowly and only by highly skilled artisans, and there is considerable waste of fur.

One of the main objects of the invention is to overcome these objections and shrink the bat expeditiously, by means of operations which can be performed quickly by a lower grade of labor.

In place of the usual kneading process heretofore employed, consisting in repeatedly rolling up 'thebat in a burlap blanket, and subjecting it to, manipulation, and also to the action of pressure rolls, I have contrived to shrink the bat by an improved difi'erent method, employing an elastic pad, preferably perforated and preferably in the form of sponge hrubber, which is placed upon the bat while the latter is wet with hot water, and this pad is stirred or moved slightly to and fro rapidly while pressed upon the bat, so that the latter, by means of the kneading action so set up, is caused to shrink. As the shrinking proceeds, the kneading strokes are lengthened, and the pressure of the .pad upon the bat is increased.

I have found that by applying such an elastic medium to the bat, and vibrating this medium to and fro to a very slight extent, the fur shrinks very rapidly; and if the soft-rubber sheet is made in the form of spongerubber with holes,,it felts even more rapidly.

Serial No. 480,284.

Sponge rubber is highly eificient for this purpose, partly because the rubber, being filled with fine openings, has good effect in locally kneading the bat, and partly because the hot water is repeatedly sucked up by the sponge-rubber pad and forced out again, thereby favoring the kneading action, and also augmenting the effect of the hot water itself upon the bat.

In order to give the pad the aforesaid movements, it may be mounted upon the under side of a board or support, and means may be used to stir or move the device to and fro upon the bat. One of the features of the invention is the provision of power-driven mechanism for this purpose; the board being connected preferably by a pitman to a revolving crank wrist or other power device, whereby minute reciprocations are given to the board and the sponge-rubber pad thereon; provision being made for increasing the length of the stroke as required during the progress of the shrinking. This mechanical operation of the shrinking pad is not limited, however, to the use of sponge or other perforated rubber.

Another feature which may be employed to advantage has reference ot the bed upon which the bat to be shrunken is placed; this bed being improved bv the use of rifiies extending thereon transversely to the dinpction of reciprocation of the rubber P inafter appear.

In the accompanying drawin Figure 1 is an elevation, ilfii strating a bat as it appears. after having been removed from the forming cone and immersed in hot water.

Fig. 2 is; an edge view of the same.

Figure 3fl shows the bat placed upon an improved bed provided with kneading rifles. 4

Figure 4 is an edge view of the device as seen at Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the preferred form of apparatus, showing the bat being shrunken therein.

- Figure 6 shows by comparision with Fi ure 3 that the bat has been considerabfi' Other features and advantages will here Patented Apr. 14, 1925 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. LORENZ, OE HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, AS SIGNOR T UNITED STATES HAT MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

FELT SHRINKING.

Application filed July 1, 192}. Serial No. 481,753.

I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. LORENZ, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Felt Shrinking, of which the following i is a specification.

This invention relates to the shrinking of felt for hats and other articles.

In making a hat, it has been the practise to form a conical body of fur fibers by blowing the fibers upon a perforated conical shell, this fiber cone being then removed and dipped in hot water, whereby the material is somewhat shrunken and solidified and made ready to be handled.

It is usual to roll up the bat thus formed and subject it to the further action of scalding water; this operation havingth'e efiect of kneading the fur or felt, and shrinking the same. Many rolling and lmeading operations are required, all of which must be slowly and laboriously performed by highly-skilled labor, with considerable waste of fur fibers. In the final stages, the rolled-up bat is subjected to the action of suitable pressure rolls for kneading and shrinking and bringing the felt to its final solidified condition.

One of the main objects of the present invention is to expedite and improve the shrinking of the bat for hats and other articles. To this end, I employ, as a kneading and shrinking agent, an elastic sheet, such as soft vulcanized rubber, having formed or provided thereon numerous closely spaced protuberances or knuckles,

said knuckles being preferably molded in-' tegral with the rubber sheet, and being preferably also of soft rubber. In utilizmg the invention in one way, the bat, whilewet with scalding water, is rolled up in a rubber blanket provided with the aforesaid knuckles, which, at short intervals, press into the body of the bat throughout its area, producing numerous indentations and .flexions of the bat, orforcing it into tortuous shape, whereby the vermicular action of the fur fibers is promoted and the shrinking action hastened. While the bat is rolled up in the described blanket, it is subjected to a kneading action corresponding generally to that commonly employed Where a burlap blanket is used. The blanket and bat are unrolled and the operation is repeated, and, from time to time, while unrolled, the bat is opened out and reflattened or folded with the creases in new places, so as to avoid the matting together of the fibers at the creases. Owing to the use of the improved blanket, the shrinking operation is substantially shortened, and'a high quality of product is secured.

In order to provide for a maximum flexibility of the blanket, the knuckles thereon, which are preferably of the form of pyramids of little elevation, may be made hollow. In other words, depressions formed upon the under side of the blanket correspond with elevations upon the upper side thereof, so that the blanket is highly flexible throughout, thus increasing and promot ing the kneading effect and the vermicular motion of the fibers or shrinking of the bat.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 shows a bat after it has been removed from the forming cone and dipped in scalding water.

Figure 2 shows an edge view of the same.

Figure 3 shows the preferred form of blanket, the surface of which is divided up into rows of closely-placed pyramids. In practise, such pyramids may be of small proportions, so that relatively great numbers thereof may operate upon the bat shown'placed upon the blanket or mat.

Figure 4 is a sectional edge elevation taken at about the line 4--4: of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows the improved blanket or mat rolled up from the Fi re 3 position, with one or more bats insi e thereof.

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective detail to show the pyramidal hollows on the under side of the blanket or mat, to render the same more flexible and to provide more points into which the bat may be pressed thus increasing the kneading capacity 0 the mat.

The bat 10 is shown in elevation at Figure 1 and in edge view at Figure 2, as collapsed orflattened, its side creases being indicated at 11. It is laid upon a blanket 12, which may consist of the material hereinafter mentioned; the blanket placed upon a bed 13. The end 14 of the blanket-is folded of the sheet in'registry with said yramids.

6. A sheet of soft vulcanized ru ber having thereon numerous knuckles to form a :blanket for kneading a hot, wet, fur bat to shrink the same, said knuckles molded integral' with said sheet, and also consisting of soft rubber, said knuckles in the form of 7. An elastic rubber blanket having knuckles in the form of pyramids on one side the bases of said pyramids adjoining each other -so that they cover the entire working area of said blanket, and rovided wiith recesses at the pyramids on t e other s1 e.

8. The process of shrinking a fur bat.

while wet with scalding water, comprising rollingthe bat up in a soft rubber blanket provided with pyramid knuckles, whose ases adjoin each other so that said knuckles cover practicall the entire vworking area of the blanket, sai knuckles, at short intervals, pressing into thebody of the bat throughout the same.

9. The process of shrinking a hot, wet, fur' bat, comprising kneading the same while it is in contact with numerous soft rubber knuckles tapering towards their tops and flexibly supported upon a soft rubber sheet and having their bases ad'oining each 30 LILLIAN M. TAYLDR, D. MAUDE Sm'rn. 

